Port Morris: An industrial nabe on its way to something more

Famous for its industrial district of red brick factory buildings and the Harlem Rail Yards, Port Morris is riding a new wave of development.

In 2005 an 11-block “mixed use,” or commercial and residential, district was established, adding to a separate one that was designated in 1997. The revival has brought converted lofts, affordable apartments and gourmet restaurants, particularly on Bruckner Boulevard, to an area once defined by its industrial nature.

Port Morris, otherwise known as SoBro, is anchored to be the next Red Hook, luring new residents with its luscious waterfront views and its ease of connectivity to Manhattan and the outer boroughs.

It’s located at the southernmost tip of The Bronx, where Harlem and the East Rivers separate it from Manhattan. The nabe is a vital thoroughfare, connected to four bridges along with the Major Deegan and Bruckner Expressways bordering it to the north.

Port Morris was established as a seaport in 1842, according to the Historic District Council, by Gouverneur Morris Jr., the son of United States founding father Gouverneur Morris. The waterfront was home to tenants such as stone works, furniture and piano factories. That commercial character is a still visible as nostalgic silhouettes of company names like Kelly’s Furniture and Baldwin are stamped across the facade of the old factories that house new tenants.

Some current commercial residents to call the nabe home are: FedEx, Waste Management company and The Bronx Brewery.

Others include recent tenants like NY Graphic Studio at 127 Lincoln Ave. Three-month resident Julie Velez, a 28-year-old self-employed clothing designer, said a new lease was just signed to build an “artsy” coffee shop at 39 Bruckner Blvd., once home to Bronx Hydro & Garden shop. “I feel safe,” Velez said of why she lives in Port Morris, adding, “the streets are quiet at night.”

The growing retail community is a welcome sign for locals.

“It’s a neighborhood in transition, everyone wants the neighborhood to be better,” said Michael Brady, owner of The Clock Cafe and Martini Bar at 112 Lincoln Ave. — the site of the renovated Estey Piano factory building.

Port Morris’ roughly 2,000 residents, which though predominantly Puerto Rican now hosts an influx of ethnicities, from white Americans to Mexicans, are benefiting from this change.

For example, the momentum has brought more lofts, commercial space and the South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures and the Arts’ new site at 133rd Street and Cypress Place, Brady said.

Even Sotheby’s has made a bid. It will soon occupy the old Kelly’s Furniture building at 20 Bruckner Blvd., Brady said. Their plans include a first floor art gallery, storage space for large-scale paintings and office space.

“Port Morris is still a vital commercial and industrial area,” Allison Jaffe, a real estate agent with Key Real Estate Services, said.

Prices in the area are also good, some residents said you can get a four-bedroom loft for $2,500 a month.

“I can get a comfortable property just one or two stops from Manhattan,” Jaffe confirmed. “Why wouldn't I do that?

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FreshDirect recently cleared another barrier in its legal battle with residents and community organizations to build a 500,000-square-foot distribution center on the site of the Harlem River Yards.

On Aug. 14, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. approved a generous tax abatement package of more than $89 million dollars to encourage the company to stay in New York.

According to freshdirectfacts.com, it will create 1,000 jobs within 10 years. It also plans to "transition to a 100 percent green transportation fleet within five years and has already purchased 10 electric vehicles," to mitigate the notoriously bad pollution in the area.

“We are excited to enter the next phase in making the Bronx our new home and look forward to continuing to work with the local community,” FreshDirect co-founder and CEO Jason Ackerman said in a statement.

But not everyone is thrilled with this development.

"Instead of amenities and resources like Chelsea gets in NYC, they're trying to dump truckloads of diesel trucks from FreshDirect," expressed Harry Bubbins, executive director of the South Bronx nonprofit Friends of Brook Park, which along with a coalition of more than 40 local groups including South Bronx Unite are fighting the development.

"We hope that we can get some kind of public monies to support and revitalize this important public space," Bubbins continued. “There are still a number of challenges and hurdles to go through.”

Friends of Brook Park plan to continue their “Boycott FreshDirect” campaign and their legal team has filed an appeal.

“We're not going to stop and this is not a done deal," Bubbins said.

Miguel Gonzalez, owner of Verde Flowers, has lived and worked in Port Morris for 11 years.

For the first six, before moving into his current space, he and his wife Vanessa operated their business out of his apartment. Since then, they moved across the street, renting space on Bruckner Boulevard, blossoming into a successful event flower shop.